Conveying and processing apparatus



May 8, 1945. J. v. DAVIS CONVEYING AND PROCESSING APPARATUS Filed July 12, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 8, 1945. J. v. DAVIS 2,375,630

CONVEYING AND PROCESSING APPARATUS Filed July 12, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR gay/v Y flaws.-

ATTORNEY across the tank I.

Patented May 8, 1945' CONVEYING AND PROCESSING APPARATUS v John V. Davis, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Udylite Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application July 12, 1943, Serial No. 494,318

6 Claims. (01. 214-17) The present invention pertains to a novel processing apparatus in which the material is conveyed through a series of baths formed in an elongated tank.

The conveying mechanism includes a series of baskets with means for inverting alternate baskets over the intervening baskets, followed by an inversion of the intervening baskets over the next adjacent alternate baskets. The rotation or inversion of the baskets is accomplished by means of suitable timed gearing operating at afrequency which is constant throughout the system. A given treatment may beprolonged by assigning more than one bath or station thereto.

However, since the cycle is usually in minutes, an operation requiring a few seconds cannot be performed by this apparatus. Accordingly, one of the objects of the invention is to make possible an operation of such short duration. This object is accomplished by an independent system of comparatively high frequency for those stations where a short operation is desired.

Another object of the invention is to avoid spilling the material while it is being transferred from an inverted basket to a lower basket. To accomplish this object, successive baskets are so arrangd that the free edge of the inverted basket lies inwardly of the corresponding edge of the lower basket. At the opposite edges of the baskets, a vane extends from the upper basket into the lower basket to prevent spilling in this area.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement of baskets that lends itself to rapid transfer of work from basket to basket in an interval of seconds, without excessive abrasion or formation of bubbles in the work pieces.

The invention is fully disclosed by way of example in the following description and in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus;

Figure 2 is a side elevation;

Figure 3 is an end view;

Figure 4 is a detail vertical section;

Figure 5 is a detail cross section.

Reference to these views will now be made by use of like characters which are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout.

The tank I is an elongated structure, preferably of sheet metal and divided by partitions into a number of compartments or stations. As well known in the art, the material is transported successively through the stations for various treatments. The conveying mechanism is timed for an equal dwell at each station. Consequently, longer treatments are eflected by means of successive stations or baths of like character.

For each station a shaft is suitably journalled For convenience of description, two adjacent shafts are designated by the numerals 3 and 4. 'To these shafts are secured baskets 5 and 6 respectively by suitable attaching means I. Alternate shafts are rotated together to bring the corresponding baskets over the intervening baskets.

Each basket comprises segmental end walls 8, preferablysolid. and a perforated wall structure 9 attached to the curved edge and one radial edge III of each of the end walls. The remaining side I I is uncovered and lies horizontal and uppermost when the edges III hang vertically as shown in Figure 4. a

The distance from the center of the shaft 3 to the edge II) of the basket carried thereby is less than the distance from the same center to the curved wall of: the basket 8. This relation pertains to any two successive baskets. A mechanism, presently to be described-is provided for rotating alternate shafts simultaneously through an angle of substantially while the intervening shafts and their baskets remain motionless. When this movement has been completed, the rotated baskets 5 overlie the neighboring baskets 6 as shown in Figure 4. The free edge I2 of the open side of each basket 5 occupies a position slightly inward of the attached or pivotal edge of the open side of the adjacent basket 8, due to the center relation previously described. Thus. in this area. the contents of the inverted basket 5 cannot spill over the side III or shaft 4 of the basket 5. At. the opposite edge of the open side, the basket 5 overlaps the basket 6. To prevent spilling, the swivel edge of basket 5 is provided with a baflle I3 which slopes downwardly into the basket 8 when the basket 5 is inverted. V

The mechanism for swinging the baskets in the manner described and then returning them includes a gear I5 on one end of each of the alternate shafts 3, these gears being disposed at the same side of the tank I and externally thereof. Similarly the intervening shafts 4 carry gears I6 at the other side of the tank. On' each side of the tank is mounted a rack II slidably supported in guides or brackets I 8 and meshing with gears I5 and It at said sides. Oscillating the racks; a link I9 is pivotally attached at 20 to each. rack at one end and joined at its other end by a shorter link 2I to a suitablebracket 22 mounted on the corresponding side of the tank and near the bottom thereof. A cylinder 23 is supported on each side of the tank adjacent to the upper end of the link I! and has a piston rod" connected to said link at 25. The two cylinders are operated successively at timed intervals. Each cylinder is supplied with motive fluid at both ends through connections 26 controlled by timed valves in a manner already well known in the art. Thus, the gears I5 are rotated to swing the alternate baskets 5 over the adjacent baskets 8 and then reversed, after which the shafts 4 are rotated to swing the baskets 8 over the adjacent baskets 5. In this manner the work is advanced through the tank, with an equal dwell at each station.

In this apparatus, any treatment can be prolonged by assigning a plurality of successive stations thereto. For example, if the cycle of operation is three minutes, it has been considered feasible to assign as many as ten successive stations. to a single operation such as baking. The shortest treatment is one cycle, and longer treatments are multiples thereof. However, if a treatment of fiveor ten seconds is desired in the same apparatus, it would not be practicable to reduce the cycle to five seconds and employ high multiples thereof for treatments of several minutes each.

This limitation of the prior devices is overcome by the provision of a second rack 30 slidably mounted at each side of the tank in brackets 3| and engaging certain of the gears l. One of the racks engages alternate gears and the other rack engages the intervening gears in the manner previously described. Similarly, each rack is operated from a cylinder 32 from which extends a piston rod 33 attached to the upper end of a link 34 pivoted to a bracket 35 and to a shorter link 36 pivotally attached to another bracket 31 near the bottom of the tank, the bracket 35 being fastened on the rack 30. The cylinder 32 is double acting through fluid connections 38 to its ends and is timed independently of the cylinder 23. The cylinder 32 is usually of a smaller cross sectional area than the cylinder 23 since it operates on a smaller number of gears and a lighter load. Because of the independent timing and gearing, the cycle in the piston 32 may be seconds as compared with minutes in the cylinder 23. The short cycle is efiective, obviously, on the baskets driven by the racks 30. A given treatment in the bath cycle may be prolonged by assigning a plurality of successive baths thereto as previously described.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it may be understood that various alterations may be made in the details of the invention without departing from the scope of the invention, as indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a tank, a series of baskets pivotally mounted along one edge, means for simultaneously rotating alternate baskets through 180 to an inverted position completely overlying the intervening baskets, means for simultaneously rotating the intervening baskets through 180 to an inverted position completely overlying the alternate baskets, said baskets being spaced radially in the same direction from their respective shafts, whereby the swinging edge of an inverted basket lies inward of the pivotal edge of the nether basket, to avoid spilling.

2. In a tank, a series of baskets pivotally mounted along one edge, means for simultaneously rotating alternate baskets through 180 to an inverted position completely overlying the intervening baskets, means for simultaneously rotating the intervening baskets through 180 to an inverted position completely overlying the alternate baskets, said baskets being spaced radially in the same direction from their respective shafts, whereby the swinging edge of an inverted basket in the same direction from their respective shafts,

and successive baskets being of the same extent lengthwise of said tank, whereby the swinging ,edge of an inverted basket lies inward of the pivotal edge of the nether basket, to avoid spilling.

4. In a tank, a series of baskets pivotally mounted along one edge, means for simultaneously rotating alternate baskets through to an inverted position completely overlying the intervening baskets, means for simultaneously rotating the intervening baskets through 180 to an inverted position completely overlying the alternate baskets, said baskets being spaced radially in the same direction from their respective shafts and successive baskets being of the same extent lengthwise of said tank, whereby the swinging edge of an inverted basket lies inward of the pivotal edge of the nether basket, to avoid spilling, and a vane extending from the pivotal edge of each basket, outwardly and towards the swinging edge, whereby to enter the adjacent basket when inverted over the latter.

5. In a tank, a series of baskets pivotally mounted along one edge, means for simultaneously rotating alternate baskets through 180 to an inverted position completely overlying the intervening baskets, means for simultaneously rotating the intervening baskets through 180 to an inverted position completely overlying the alternate baskets, said'baskets being spaced radially in the same direction from their respective shafts and successive baskets being of the same extent lengthwise of said tank, whereby the swinging edge of an inverted basket lies inward of the pivotal edge of the nether basket, to avoid spilling, the wall of each basket transverse of said tank and nearer its swinging edge being verticle in its initial or starting position.

6. In a tank, a series of baskets pivotally mounted along one edge, means for simultaneously rotating alternate baskets through 180 to an inverted position completely overlying the intervening baskets, means for simultaneously rotating the intervening baskets through 180 to an inverted position completely overlying the alternate baskets, said baskets being spaced radially in the same direction from their respective shafts and successive baskets being of the same extent lengthwise of said tank, whereby the swinging edge of an inverted basket lies inward of the pivotal edge of the nether basket, to avoid spilling, and a vane extending from the pivotal edge of each basket, outwardly and towards the swinging edge, whereby to enter the adjacent basket when inverted over the latter, the wall of each basket transverse of said tank and nearer its swinging edge being vertical in its initial or starting position.

JOHN V. DAVIS. 

